Indian sports wrap, June 5: Ganemat moves top during national shotgun selection trials

SHOOTING

Ganemat reclaims women’s skeet top spot after shining in third national trials

Punjab’s Ganemat Sekhon reclaimed the women’s skeet top spot in Indian rankings after the national selection trials (T3) for the shotgun shooters, courtesy her top score of 116 in qualification at the M.P. State Academy Shooting ranges here.

State-mate Abhay Singh Sekhon also climbed atop the men’s skeet rankings with his leading qualification score of 120 in the men’s T3 competition.

Both athletes, however, finished an identical fourth in the finals, with Ganemat bowing out at the 40-shot mark of the 60-shot decider with 32 hits to her name. Abhay had 35 shots.

Olympian Anantjeet Singh Naruka won the men’s event with a superb 58 in the final, leaving talented Punjab youngster Bhavtegh Gill (Q 119) way behind in 53 for silver.

Fellow Olympian and joint world record holder Angad Bajwa was third with 45 hits at the 50-shot mark.

The women’s title was clinched by Rajasthan’s Darshna Rathore who shot 50 to leave two Olympians in her wake. Raiza Dhillon won silver with 48 hits and settling for bronze was Maheshwari Chauhan with 40.

The trap T3 trials follow from Friday at the same venue. The shotgun shooters are currently preparing for the fourth ISSF World Cup stage scheduled for Lonato, Italy, next month.

– PTI

CHESS

Delhi GM Open offers prize purse of Rs 1.21 crore

The 21st Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament will be held from June 7-14 with participation of over 2,500 players from more than 15 countries and a prize purse of Rs 1.21 crore.

Organised by the Delhi Chess Association (DCA), the tournament will feature 20 Grandmasters in action across three rating-based sections.

Held under the aegis of the All India Chess Federation (AICF), the Delhi GM Open is Asia’s largest classical-format chess event.

Bharat Singh Chauhan, President, DCA, said: “For two decades, the Delhi GM Open has helped build the foundation of Indian chess. This is where young talent gets tested, where norms are earned, and where future Grandmasters cut their teeth.” This year’s prize pool reflects a significant increase over last year, with Rs 51 lakh allocated for Category A (open to rated players), and Rs 35 lakh each for Categories B and C (U-1900 and U-1700, respectively).

All categories will follow the FIDE Swiss System with 10 rounds per section.

– PTI

MOTORSPORT

Country’s top riders and teams congregate this weekend at the Madras International Circuit for an adrenaline-filled weekend of racing which will launch the first round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2025. The three-day event, commencing on Friday, will see 19 races with over 154 entries across all categories in the fray.

In the National Championship, much of the focus will be on a pair of Petronas TVS Racing riders, National champion Sarthak Chavan (Pune) and his arch-rival Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru), in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc class.

Incidentally, Sarthak won nine of the 10 races last season while Chiranth topped the other. They will resume their rivalry this weekend after having gained rich experience from participating and scoring podium finishes in the Asia Road Racing Championship.

– Team Sportstar